D3 All Stars will take on Mexico All Stars

Players from 18 NCAA Division III schools have been named to the 40-man Team Stars & Stripes roster that will head to Mexico for the sixth annual Tazón de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars) next month.

For the 17th time since Global Football first took standout football players south of the border in the original Aztec Bowl, a NCAA Division III all-star roster, known collectively as Team Stars & Stripes will take on the CONADEIP All-Stars in the Tazón de Estrellas in Mexico on December 20.

Central College defensive coordinator Don DeWaard will serve as head coach of Team Stars & Stripes having led the Americans to a 32-15 victory in Guadalajara and a 29-7 win in Monterrey in 2013.

The players and coaches will travel to Mexico on December 14 for seven days, with two-a-day practices and an opportunity to explore the local region and experience a different culture. The visit also focuses on community service projects, with previous initiatives including clearing an area of land to benefit an impoverished neighborhood, creating a play area for children, and holding a football clinic for local youngsters.

Player profiles (listed in alphabetical order of college)

94 DE Ryan Sherry – Allegheny College
Was second among Gators with 69 tackles and posted 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

6 WR Brendon Boerm – Central College
Had 32 receptions for 457 yards and 4 touchdowns and rushed 43 times for 331 yards and 3 touchdowns.

8 LB/S Jacob Tune – Central College
All-Iowa Conference second team selection, had the third-most tackles on the Central defense with 52, 31 of which were solos. Had a sack and 3.5 tackles for loss.

9 QB Aaron Eiseler – Central College
Completed 130 of 210 passes for 12 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Rushed 27 times for 120 yards and 3 touchdowns and led the team in total offense.

16 K Kevin Sheldon – Central College
All-Iowa Conference selection, made seven of his 11 field goal attempts on the season, including his last 6-of-7. All 11 attempts were from beyond 30 yards and his longest make was a 42-yarder.

28 RB Josh Osborn – Central College
All-Iowa Conference selection, averaged more than five yards per carry while racking up a conference-leading 1,284 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.

50 OG Ryan Collins – Central College
All-Iowa Conference second team selection, anchored an offensive line that allowed just six sacks in 10 games and created openings for Osborn to rush for the sixth-most yards in a season in school history.

54 DL Brody Janssen – Central College
All-Iowa Conference second team selection, recorded 3.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He ranked seventh on the team in total tackles with 40.

55 DE Matt Schmitz – Coe College
All-Iowa Conference selection, led the conference in tackles for loss with 9.5 and tied for the league lead with two fumble recoveries. He also ranked second in sacks with 4.5 and tied for 19th with 51 tackles.

25 RB Sean Hackel – College of Wooster
Two-time all-NCAC standout rushed for 817 yards 5 touchdowns and was a big part of the Fighting Scots’ passing game with 18 receptions for 139 yards.

10 CB Myron Seabrook – Cornell College
All MWC first-team selection finished with 28 tackles (21 solo) and led the secondary with 9 pass breakups. Had one interception that was returned 41 yards, was fourth on the team with 57 tackles.

56 OL Sam Cluck – Cornell College
Headlined Cornell’s All-Midwest Conference award winners as a first team pick on offense and the Offensive Lineman of the Year among all 12 MWC schools.

58 DL TJ Gray – Cornell College
All MWC first-team selection was the anchor of Cornell’s defensive line. Posted 35 total tackles, including 6.0 for losses and 3.5 sacks. Collected 28 tackles from his end position and had 3.5 tackles for loss.

4 CB Marvin Carr – Elmhurst College
All-conference selection, started all 10 games as top-ranked pass defense limited opposing offenses to just 162.3 yards per game through the air, Ranked tenth in the CCIW with 5 passes defended in conference play.

77 OG Adam Connors – Elmhurst College
Earned all-conference honors while starting at left guard. Played a key role in an offense that led the nation in time of possession, averaging more than 36 minutes of ball control per game.

79 C Drake Hoffman – Elmhurst College
Started all 10 games in earning the first all-conference honor of his career on an offensive line that gave up just eight sacks this season and paved the way for the third-ranked Bluejay rushing offense.

90 LB Andrew Holfinger – Endicott College
NEFC All-Conference first team selection set a single-season record for sacks with 9.5 and had a forced fumble, two recoveries, five pass breakups, and a blocked kick.

5 LB Jaris Alleyne – Gallaudet University
Earned first team ECFC honors for a third straight year. Led a GU defense that ranked 27th nationally in total defense in tackles per game (11.9). Made 24 tackles (12 solo) on Senior Day, was second in the conference with 106 tackles and 59 solo tackles.

33 LB Jason Skyrm – Grove City College
All-PAC selection, ranked second on the team and seventh in the conference with 86 tackles. He led the conference with 20 tackles for loss and had a school-record five forced fumbles. He also ranked third in the conference with nine sacks.

35 LB Justin Magaw – Hanover College
HCAC second team selection ranked second on Hanover’s squad and fourth in the HCAC with 103 tackles. Had 9 tackles for loss, an interception, 9 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles and a team-best 3 fumble recoveries.

21 CB Chaz Benton – Knox College
Concluded his senior year with 47 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries, and ranked 11th in the MWC with 10 pass breakups. He was a big reason the Prairie Fire defense limited opponents to 167 passing yards per game, the fourth-lowest total in the league.

13 LB John Preston – Lake Forest College
All-Midwest Conference selection, led the Foresters and ranked 11th in the conference with 84 tackles. He also intercepted a pass, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, and added four pass breakups. Had at least four tackles in every game and reached double figures five times.

22 S Joey Kropp – Lake Forest College
All-Midwest Conference selection, ranked second in the league with 199 punt return yards and 8.0 yards per return, and third in the conference with 24.6 yards per kickoff return. Kropp finished as the Foresters’ all-time leader with 557 career punt return yards.

63 OL Bryan Feltman – Lake Forest College
All-Midwest Conference second team selection, started all 10 games at right guard and helped the Foresters rush for at least 100 yards in all but two contests.

97 DL Ramel Samuel – Lake Forest College
All-Midwest Conference selection, made 52 stops on the year and added a sack and 3.0 tackles for loss. He also recovered a fumble. Samuel made at least five tackles in six contests and surpassed 100 career tackles.

3 WR Taylor Mandich – Lawrence University
All-Midwest Conference selection, caught 43 passes for 727 yards and 5 touchdowns. Finished fourth in the conference at 72.7 receiving yards per game and was seventh at 4.3 catches per contest.

24 LB Brandon Taylor – Lawrence University
Playing on both sides of the ball, rushed 26 times for 117 yards and a touchdown, while leading the Vikings with 98 tackles and positing 1.5 sacks and an interception.

70 OL Luke Zablocki – Lawrence University
Established on the Vikings’ offensive line that protected 2013 All-Midwest Conference quarterback Luke Barthelmess, who lined up for Team Stars & Stripes last December.

68 OG Josh Mitchell – Manchester College
Established himself on the Spartans’ offensive line this season.

45 LB Dillon Kwiat – Ohio Northern University
Led the team in tackles with 79 while starting all 10 games. Ended his 39-game career ranked eighth all-time with 255 career tackles, having started the last 30 games over the past three seasons.

43 DE Steven Kenny – Ohio Northern University
Is a three-time All-OAC honoree, was fourth on the team with 42 tackles and was second with 5.5 TFL. In 35 career games, ends his career with 134 tackles, 19 TFL and 4.0 sacks.

76 OT Michael Howell – Ohio Northern University
Started in all 10 games on the offensive line this season and was named Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference in football.

41 LB Seth Swinehart – Rockford University
Earned All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference first team honors for the fourth consecutive season. Finished tied for the NACC lead in assisted tackles (52), was tied for third in forced fumbles (2), fourth in total tackles (89), tied for tenth in pass breakups (6) and twelfth in tackles for loss (9).

40 DE Alec Zoern – UW-Stout
Was fifth on the team in tackles with 49, 24 solo. Had 3.5 sacks, 9.0 tackles for loss, one pass break up and one fumble recovery.

93 DT Jamie Rohrig – UW-Stout
Earned his second consecutive second team all-WIAC selection. Finished with 23 total tackles, 13 solo, piled up 9 tackles for loss of 50 yards, had 5 sacks and forced one fumble.